Improved ball-caster



s. s. HICKOK su n.413. CLEMENT. BALL GASTER.

N0.76,6so. PatentedApmfl,'1868.

@eine faire strat ffies.

SAMUEL S. HIOKOK, OE METHUEN, AND DANIEL B. CLEMENT, OE BOSTON,MASSACHUSETTS.

Leners Parent No. 16,630, dans' April 14, 1868-.

' IMPEOVED BALL-GASTEE..

To ALL WHOM IT MAY OONCERN:

Be it known that we, SAMUEL S. HIOKOK, of Methuen, Essex county,Massachusetts, and DANIEL B. CLEMENT,

,of Boston, Suffolk county, Massachusetts, have made o. new andusefnl'invebtionof an Improved Ball-Caster 4desired object, thescrew'being in tbe centre'ofsnch base.

and do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the same, due reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, making. part of this specification, and in which-'- Figure lis a. side elevation, and Figure 2 a vertical and central section of aballlcasterconstructed in accordance-with .thc ideas of Imy invention.Figure 3 is a perspective view of one of the friction-Wheels or rollersto be hereinafter described, while Figure 4 is a perspective. v iew lot'one of the slotted-'or-recessed brackets for supporting thcfriction-wheels. The object of this'invention is to produce a caster foruse upon 'tire-prooi` safes, pianos, trunks, and-various other objects,which shall allow such objects to. be moved aboutwith equal facility inany direction, and with ease. The invention consists in -a sphericalball or globe, retained in place upon the lower end or-portion of asupport or base by an annular c up or sleeve, which partially surroundsit, and allows it to revolve easily thereinj' the base itself beingsupported upon or over theball'by means of an'interposedserics ofanti-friction wheels or rollers, duly suppd'r'ted within recesses madein the base, and turning upon axles duly inserted therein; A'the wholebeing substantially as hereinafter described.

By-referring `'tothe accompanying d'rawingspit will be seen'that thecaster is shown at a" as composed" of a.l spherical ball` a, partiallyenclosed by an annular cup or sleeve, b, the lower 'edge 'of whichextends belowthe centro of the ball, in order to preventits dropping outof the same, while the 'u'ppen periphery of the cup is serrated orrecessed, and issecurcdin a suitable manner to a base or support, c.

The upper par't of this base is provided with a. screw for the purposeof readily applying the caster to the The base, furthermore, is recessedor notched, as shownfat d d, Site., for reception of a series of six orany suitable number of wheels or rollers e e e, tte., supported andturn-ing upon axlesfff, Snc., the ends ofwhich' areinserted withinrecesses ggg, &c., formed in opposite sides of the pendent posts ith-h,making part of tbe base, c, before mentioned, the line of rotation ofthe wheels e e e beingin n. radial line frein the centre of thebase, Ao,or thcreabonts.

The ballor globe a is to be of sutiicient size to bear upon or touch theperipheri'es` of all the wheels `e e e. The mode of supporting andsecuring the axles f ff Ste., in their supporting-posts h h 7i, as shownin the drawings, is to forni in the lower end .ofsuch posts,` andexten-dingupward, a. slot'or recess, z', into which the end oftheroller-axle is inserted, there being one of these recesses upon eachside ot` the post; the axle being.

retained therein by a block of leather or other suitable material, whichis inserted within the lower end of the.v said recess, and below theaxle; the block of leather being in turn secured in itsproper place bythe same' screws which serve to confine the' annular cup to thc hase,or'by any suitablo'means.

The construction of the above-'described caster' admits of very greatstrength and simplicity of parts. As the point tif-resistance orpressure is always nt its centre, there is no danger of breakage. aswit-h the ordinary caster;

'As the line of rotation'of the rollers' e e, duc., radiates 'from thecentre of the'base outward, the ,full advan tage of these rollersiisobtained'in whatever direction the main ball o r sphere is rotated, thusenabling the object to which the' caster is attached to be moved aboutin various .directions with' equal facility and with ease. It obviatesthe great objection, conamon to. ordinary casters, of becoming"set" inone direction, and which, upon being drawn' along over a carpet orileor,tends, to injure themto a serious extent.l

We'claim as our invention, :rnd-desire to secure by'Letters Patent oftheUnited States- The ball-caster, made in-twosections, as -hercindescribed, the onescction consisting of the base'c,`.constructed'withthe slotted legs h, in which the axles'ofrollers e are held, and theother ot' the cup b, withthe caster-ball which it holds,attached to seidbase, in the manner and for the purposes shown andsp'ec iiied.- SAML.is. HIOKOK,

DANIEL B. CLE/MENT.

Witnesses:

FRED. CURTIs, `IlDwARl) Gnrsrr'rw.

